


It'll be okay

by loni_meow



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Can be seen as bromance but also kinda romance, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drugs, Heroin, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Men Crying, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Opium, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:22:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27085519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loni_meow/pseuds/loni_meow
Summary: The late 70s - a heroin addiction wave swept through Germany.Turns out, the drug has not only been figuratively running through the country's veins.
Relationships: China/Germany (Hetalia)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	It'll be okay

There was an unspoken, all shared truth, expanding through all of the people that attended this meeting.  
Those people including almost the whole world with the exception of those few that couldn't attend, didn't make it, that type of thing.

It's the end of the 70s, and thus, not only the blonde, but also the white haired German still sat as personification for the FRG and GDR as separated countries.   
And while Gilbert looked tired, worn out, just all of these things, having lost weight in the time that had gone by since he became the GDR, Germany held a seemingly way darker fate.

He was _on something_ , and everybody knew that. Everybody saw that. His body was paled, thin, and he was absent. Those, back then so well trained, muscles seemed to be shaking in cooperation with his hands in general. He couldn't focus. He didn't speak.   
He was somewhere else, he was drowsy, he was looking at the environment as if he was losing touch with reality.   
He didn't even look anyone in the eyes, shame weeping hands in hands with the pure feeling of guilt he radiated.

This was the unspoken truth everybody knew.   
The failure in that was not Germany, no, definitely not, but the fact that no one knew how or wanted to help.   
"He got himself into that situation," someone had said before, "he'll get himself out."

But China knew that if your country's population is a heavy drug user, you would become one too - and when you do then end up defending yourself - at least in China's case - you'd just get another hit straight in the face.

Though, China knew that he'd been addicted to opium, while Germany was addicted to heroin.   
Two rather different drugs, right?   
Yet the Chinese man felt like he should help, even if it would just mean to sit and listen to whatever broke such a young nation beyond repair.

"We skipped over Ludwig's 100th birthday," Gilbert then said - having given up the title "Prussia" - with a heavy gulp, the usual loudness having left him, "it was in '71. Back when we weren't allowed to come here."

Ah, right.   
Yao almost forgot that it was their first meeting back with them. Before this one, Alfred and Ivan "represented" their opinions in the other meetings.   
It's all just a bland mix of bland words with bland meanings by bland people. No wonder Yao didn't really pay attention, like, ever.

Though, a heavy silence dawned upon them at that.   
Shit.   
Germany was just barely over 100 years old.   
And there he sat, having lived through two wars, two that were (made) his countries' fault just to then get separated from his brother and become addicted to drugs. Heroin, out of all of them on top of that.

Things that everyone else might have done and experienced (mostly not even all of this) at 400 years or something, Germany experienced in 100.

The silence got worse and worse, until Yao, sitting rather close to the German, heard his stomach gurgle abruptly.   
"Excuse me for a moment," Ludwig said, his teeth gritted as he jumped up and ran out of the meeting room with shaking legs, showing his sickly thin figure to the whole group since he didn't have time to put the big coat on he came in here.

China didn't even think about it, he just calmly stood up, not even excusing himself, taking mentioned coat and following the German, guessing that he went to the closest bathroom in this house.

He knew that Ludwig must be either vomiting his lungs out or injecting another portion, and both of those things seemed like something Yao could comfort him in. Convince him not to do. Calm down. See there's someone with him, at his side.

He did find the closest bathroom rather quickly and judging by the sounds coming from it, Germany really was currently vomiting his organs out.  
It shouldn't summon a feeling of relief, but it definitely did. After all, at least he wasn't injecting heroin into his poor body right at that moment.   
China stepped in, knocking on the main door to signalize his presence, seemingly startling the blonde man as he heard something crash against a toilet seat, presumably a hand that shot up in surprise.

"It's me," he said, his voice content, yet urging, "can I come in?"  
No matter that he was basically inside of the bathroom already, he wanted the German to agree with everything.  
There was a whine, and then a sob.

Yao knew him well enough to be sure that this was a yes, a yes he couldn't say at that moment, so he did by cracking up into tears as he wouldn't do in front of anyone that shouldn't see him like this.

The Chinese man sucked in a breath, and went up to the stall that the noises came from, biting his lip in the memory of how bad he'd felt whenever he'd landed in the bathroom, vomiting into a dumbass toilet out of everything he could've been doing.  
The door was still slightly opened, and China wasted no time coming in and directly kneeling down next to Ludwig onto the cold tiles.  
He took the coat and put it over the sobbing German that, with all his might, held into the toilet seat he was sitting in front off, seeming as if he'd collapse if he was to let it go.

Yao stretched a little and flushed so that the smell of sickness could actually wear off, before he hugged the trembling figure of his friend.  
"Happy late 100th," he whispered into the way younger nation's ear, tugging a strand of blonde hair that loosened itself from the usual hairstyle behind the other ear on the other side as he said that.

"Thank you," the raspy, quiet voice said back, the trembling stopping a little as Germany turned around in China's grip and hugged him back.  
"Anything you wanna do?"  
"Not being addicted to heroin."  
"Mhm. Thought so."

The blonde man just smiled the littlest, most tiny bit, and China had just seen it out of the corner of his eye, satisfied with it.  
"It's been some time since I've been addicted to a drug."  
"You've been addicted to a drug?"  
"I never told you?"  
A shiver ran through Ludwig's body as he sighed, and Yao could see that he was now feeling cold, just so utterly cold.  
"Y-You didn't, no..."

"Been about 120 years, I guess. Opium."  
Realization dawned upon the nation he was hugging still, his hands cramping at his back until Germany actually leaned back a little.  
"I remember being told about, you know, those wars..."  
"Yeah, the British Empire wasn't the best thing to happen to my country," China said with a bitter smile and an even more bitter chuckle, Germany staring at him with that clouded, yet attentive expression.

" _You_ were though," the older nation then said, putting a hand on Germany's left cheek, caressing it with his thumb.  
"Without your people and your technology... I wouldn't want to know how the war against Japan would've ended in a timeline without your country's support."

The blonde was looking at his friend with confusion, utter confusion, then he broke into a little chuckle that sounded as if it was tearing his body apart.   
"You're mad. Absolutely mad."  
"Hey, don't doubt my statements! Respect your elders," Yao said, crossing his arms as he leaned a little against the German, stroking his side with his fingers.

"Old man," the blonde then fought out to further mock him, get a laugh out of the other nation.   
He succeeded in said thing, and started to slowly feel a little better.   
"How about getting a glass of water from the very old man?"  
"I'd be very grateful to get that."  
"Alright, I'll come back in a second then. So... stay here."

China stood up, his legs a little wobbly as he only then realized how much this messed with his feels, seeing such a young nation so deep at the bottom. The only place he remembered glasses to be at was the meeting room, and that would mean getting in there after this spectacle.

And thus, he almost silently entered said room, the door not even making any sound.  
They heard him, because it was so tensely quiet in the room, that even his footsteps could be heard. After all, he had a heeled boots to appear a little bigger and not get made fun of too much.

"Is he okay?" someone asked, and by the voice and also the gaze England was giving him, he could definitely tell that he asked this.  
A little surprising, if one'd ask China, but he accepted it nonetheless.  
"No."  
It was honest, still he could see why everyone would tense and gasp a little, the noise going through the whole group.

"He's addicted to heroin, isn't he?" once again, someone else asked, maybe even America if his ears took that in correctly, and another surprised noise rummaged through the crowd.  
"None of your business," Yao spat then, clenching his fists, his furrowed eyebrows twitching.

"I'm just getting water. I think it's in his favor to continue the meeting without him. Gilbert, you know what's going on?"  
The albino nodded without any noise, emptiness in his eyes, "I'll continue in his name."  
Yao nodded, took the glass that was at Germany's seat and quickly left to the bathroom.

As it was being filled with water, China heard the vomiting noises once again, closing his eyes for a moment until turning the water off since there was enough in it.   
He sighed, walking back to the bathroom stall, seeing Germany's fragile looking body cramp and hearing him sob inbetween, his knuckles even more white from the way he gripped the edges of the toilet.

China kneeled down, putting one of his hands on the tensed ones, caressing his skin with his thumb, silently sitting there with him.   
"It'll be fine, sweetheart," the Chinese man said, putting the glass to the side to stroke through the blonde hair.   
"You're coming off the drug, aren't you? You're doing so well, so good. It'll be fine."

Now he had one hand intertwined with the cold, trembling fingers while the other one wandered from the hair to the back, massaging him almost to ease his struggle. Just being there for him.

When Germany finally got better, Yao picked up the water and held it so that Ludwig could drink out of it without even having to hold the whole thing himself.   
The water was refreshing him when going down his throat, China could just see the way his expression eased.

He smiled even, still staying silent and waiting for Germany to start talking if he really wanted to while once again flushing for him, taking back the glass as the German was pretty much done.  
"Thank you," he whispered, his voice even more hoarse than before, "I'm really trying to get off heroin... It's so hard."

"Did you tell anyone?"  
"No..."  
"Not even Italy? Japan? Or your brother?" China then asked, still rubbing Germany's back, and just got back a shaking of the head.   
"You're the only one that officially knows about it. I planned on defeating it on my own and then being better for all of them again," Ludwig explained, furrowing his eyebrows as he played with China's fingers to distract himself, "but I guess everybody figured it out by now."

"They're not judging you," the older nation murmured, hearing his friend giggle, making him feel a little messed up on the inside.  
"Will this ever be okay again? Will the world be okay again?"   
"I don't know, Ludwig."   
Yao squeezed him more, held him closer, "I don't know."

They huddled for warmth, sounding weird regarding the fact that they sat on the floor of a toilet stall.   
Yet, it was somewhat of the most comforting moments in his entire life.

Just sitting there with Yao, getting healthy. Maybe. After all this time. 


End file.
